The Change-Up
by Lauren3313
Summary: 7 months into their marriage, all is well for Kate and Castle. But an unexpected surprise could throw them all off guard. Will they be able to handle it?
1. In Sickness and In Health

**This is my first fanfic so reviews would be wonderful! :)**

Kate felt a warm ray of sunshine on her face. She smiled when she remembered it was Sunday - she and Castle had the whole day to spend together. She peeled her eyes open and looked to her left hoping to find her partner turned boyfriend - and recently turned husband. They'd finally made it official about 7 months ago with an extravagant wedding in the Hamptons. She couldn't have imagined her life turning out this way 10 years ago. She always saw herself as more of a career oriented person, but now she was happily married.

To her disappointment, her husband was no where to be found which frustrated her because all she wanted to do was cuddle up to him and watch tv. She figured he was probably writing, so she threw off the comforter and sat up, preparing to look in his office. When she sat up, she instantly got a sick feeling in her stomach. She felt the contents of her stomach coming up. She put her hand over her mouth and sprinted into the master bathroom. She emptied her stomach into the toilet and just sat there. Castle must have heard her because not 10 seconds later he ran into the bathroom.

"Kate...where are..." as soon as he turned into the room he saw her hovering over the toilet. "Oh, Kate." he grabbed a hair tie off the sink and knelt down beside her. Castle gathered her hair and secured the hair tie around it into a messy ponytail. Kate was so embarrassed, she didn't want her husband to see her like this. She turned around towards him and put her hand on his chest to push him away.

"Castle...please" she said when he resisted. "You don't need to see this." Castle took her hand and kissed her palm.

"I think you're forgetting something, Kate." Kate rolled her eyes.

"And what exactly is that, Castle?" He interlocked his fingers with hers and stood up slowly, pulling Kate up with him.

"In sickness and in health," he said, smiling.

Castle led her back to bed where she laid down and he tucked her in. He asked her what she needed. "You" was all she said before closing her eyes. Castle knew exactly what she meant so he walked over to his side of the bed and crawled under the covers. Kate immediately reached her arm out and placed it on his chest. She nuzzled her face into his side and breathed in his familiar scent. Castle leaned down and delicately placed a kiss into her hair.

"I love you Kate," he whispered, but by that time she was fast asleep.


	2. Feeling Better-- Or Not

When Kate woke, Castle was once again nowhere to be found. She peered over to the alarm clock which read 3:20 pm. She was feeling much better than before, though she was abnormally warm. She got out of bed to look for and thank her husband. He'd been so sweet earlier and she wanted to let him know how grateful she was to have him.

She peeked into his study and saw him at his desk, typing furiously. Not wanting to disturb him, Kate remained in the doorway. But Castle sensed her presence and look up from his work.

"How are you feeling?" he said hopefully, closing his laptop and turning his chair to face her.

"Better, but hot," she said taking several steps towards him. Castle opened his arms to her and Kate sat down on his thigh. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and raised the back of his other hand to her forehead.

"You feel hot," he said, lowering his arm and sliding it around her waist.

Kate felt another surge of nausea and got up, sprinting off to the bathroom, Castle right behind her. She was sick for several minutes, the whole time Castle sat behind her, rubbing circles into her back and telling her he loved her.

During a pause in her vomiting, he whispered into her ear "I'm going to call your doctor." and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

After a few minutes, Castle came back into the bathroom. "You have an appointment tomorrow at 8 am," he announced. Realizing he had probably bribed the doctor's office with money to get her the next appointment, she smiled.

"Thank you". But when she remembered tomorrow was Monday she said "But..". Castle cut her off.

"Don't worry. I already called the precinct and you have tomorrow off." Kate smiled at his thoughtfulness. How did she get so lucky?

"Thank you," she said once again as she rose from the bathroom floor.

Castle helped her back into bed and crawled in beside her. Once they were all snuggled together, Kate whispered "Rick, do you know how much..." before she yawned loudly.

"Shhh," Castle hushed her. "Of course I know. Now go to sleep, Kate." And with that, Kate was out like a light.


	3. The Appointment

Castle felt awful that he had to wake his sleeping wife this early for a doctor's appointment, but he was really worried about her. That's why he had told to receptionist at the doctor's office that he was willing to do anything to get her the first appointment Monday morning. He didn't think twice about dropping a little extra cash because he was worried about Kate's health. She was the most important thing in his whole life.

Rick bent down until his mouth was just inches away from Kate's ear and whispered "Kate, it's time to wake up." When she grunted and rolled over he let out a chuckle and tried again.

"Come on, it's time for your appointment. You don't want to be late." Kate realized she really didn't want to be late, so she rolled back to face her husband and opened her eyes. She came face to face with her adorable husband smirking.

"Castle, why are you smiling like that?" she spat out. He replied without hesitation

"Because you are so beautiful." Her heart melted. He often left her speechless like this with his sweet words.

She stood up and, blushing, said "Yeah right, I probably look like hell." She started to walk towards the closet to pick out some fresh clothes, but Castle snaked his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind.

"If hell looks anything like you, sign me up," he whispered into her ear. He did it again. She was blushing and smiling and he made her feel like she was the most special woman in the world. She was so thankful she had him. Kate turned around in her husband's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she said as she placed a kiss on his cheek. She turned towards the closet and made her way into it. She changed into her favorite pair of skinny jeans and her old Stanford t-shirt.

"Ready to go?" Castle asked Kate as he held out his hand to her. She nodded and placed her hand in his, interlocking their fingers.

* * *

"Katherine Castle?" Kate stood up and started to walk towards the doctor's room when she realized Castle was following her. She turned around and placed a hand on Rick's chest.

"Stay here," she told her husband. He raised one eyebrow and put his hand over hers.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek. She resumed following the nurse until they were in the examination room.

"Dr. Broderick will be right with you," the assistant said.

"Thanks," Kate replied. Kate waited patiently until her doctor entered.

"Hello Kate. It's nice to see you again. Your husband told me you've been feeling ill." Christine Broderick had been Kate's doctor ever since she had joined the NYPD. She was about the same age as Kate and had short blonde hair. She was the nicest doctor Kate had ever had.

" I've been feeling awful the past few days. I've been throwing up a lot and had a fever earlier."

"Alright let me just do some routine tests." The doctor checked Kate's eyes, ears, mouth, and blood pressure.

"Everything looks normal on the outside, so we're going to have to do a blood test just to be safe." Kate had always hated getting her blood drawn. She really wished Castle was in here to hold her hand, but she didn't want to sound needy so she didn't ask to get him. It was over before she knew it and Dr. Broderick was off to run some tests. Kate waited nervously for her to return.

When the doctor returned, she had a huge grin spread across her face. Kate was terribly confused about why Dr. Broderick was smiling right now, that was, until the doctor spoke.

"Congratulations! You're pregnant!" Kate's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Are you sure?" she questioned. Dr. Broderick nodded and showed the test results to Kate. A million thoughts rushed through her head. Her and Castle hadn't been trying to get pregnant, they had agreed on waiting at least a year or two. Would he be happy about this? Was she ready for this? How was she going to tell Castle? Dr. Broderick snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Would you like me to get your husband?" Kate thought this over. Surely she could come up with a creative way to tell him. Once a plan started rolling in her head, she responded to the doctor's question.

"No thank you, I'm going to surprise him tomorrow."

Dr. Broderick handed her a few brochures about being pregnant and showed her the way out. Castle was sitting in the waiting room biting his nails nervously. As soon as he saw Kate he rushed up to her.

"What did the doctor say?" Kate wanted so badly to tell him right then and there.

"Just the flu," she said, taking his hand and leading them towards the door. She wished she could tell him now, but she'd wait until tomorrow because what could be a better birthday present than finding out you're going to be a father again?


	4. Best Birthday Present Ever!

Rick woke up to the smell of pancakes cooking. He smiled. Today was going to be his best birthday ever because it would be his first one married to Kate. Speaking of Kate, he should get up to go find her. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, she appeared in the door frame.

"Look who's awake," she smiled. She was so beautiful, wearing only one of his white button downs. _God,_ he thought. _She could make anything look sexy._ Her long brown hair was cascading gorgeously across her shoulders. He smiled back at her and welcomed her with open arms.

She walked over to where he was sitting on their bed and made her way in between his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled down at him and leaned in for a long, soft kiss. When she finally pulled back, they were both grinning like a couple of fools.

"Happy birthday, Rick." she said at a near whisper. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent. Kate ran her fingers through the fine hairs on the back of his neck before stepping back. She reached offered her hand to her husband and pulled him up.

"Let's have some breakfast."

While they were eating, Kate's phone began to ring. They both looked at each other, knowing what this meant.

"Please... Just ignore it!" Castle pleaded with her. She got up to retrieve her cell phone from the coffee table. When Kate sat back down she placed her hand over his on the table.

"You know I can't do that." He knew she didn't _want _to go into work on his birthday, but he still couldn't help being disappointed. He wanted to see what she had planned for them on this special day.

Kate answered her phone. "Beckett. Yep. Address? Okay. I'll be there in 10." With that, she hung up the phone and put it back down. She looked over at Castle. He looked like someone had just run over his puppy.

"Look, you know I don't want to leave you on your birthday, but I have to go solve this case. I'll be back before you know it," Kate reasoned. She leaned down over Castle and kissed him on the head. When she went to pull away, he wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her closer.

"Hurry back," he mumbles. She smiled into his hair and plants another kiss.

"I promise."

* * *

Rick had been bored ever since Kate had left. So far he had watched the first three Star Wars movies. He had started to text Kate a few times but stopped himself, not wanting to distract her from her case. It was already 4:52 and he was beginning to wonder if she'd make it home in time for dinner when he received at text.

Kate Castle: _Case closed. Be home in a few :)_

Castle got very excited. He knew she'd be home in about 15 minutes so he figured he'd clean up a bit. He went into their bedroom and put on a maroon button down and black pants. He went into the bathroom and fixed his hair and brushed his teeth. He was ready for whatever Kate planned for him.

When he heard the door click open, he was ecstatic. He ran straight to where she was standing and gave her a sweet kiss.

"Welcome home," he said taking Kate's hand.

"Missed me much?" she chuckled.

"I'll have you know that I had a very exciting and productive day," he said in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Is that so?" She rolled her eyes.

"Nope," he grinned. Kate walked past him and took a dish out of the fridge and put it into the oven.

"Is that...lasagne?!" Castle exclaimed, almost squealing.

"Anything for my husband on his special day," Kate said sweetly. "Now, are you ready for your present.

"I was born ready," Castle stated. With that, Kate walked into their bedroom and retrieved a small wrapped package the size of an average book. She could see the disappointment on his face- even though he tried to hide it- when he saw that there was only one present. She knew that there was no way he would be disappointed once he opened it.

Kate handed the gift to Rick and he grinned. He tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a plain white box. Kate sat down next to him on the couch and placed her hand on his knee, not sure about how he would react. He removed the lid and the tissue paper. He stared down at his present in shock. When he looked up at Kate she couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face. He held up the cute onesie that said "I get my ninja powers from my daddy". He didn't know what to say. He let his mind process what he was holding for a minute as Kate waited patiently for him to say something- anything.

"Is this...? Does this mean...?" He just couldn't find the right words. "This better not be an April Fool's joke!" Kate laughed at this.

"I promise it's not."

"This is way too small to fix Alexis so... Does this mean you're pregnant?" Kate gave the smallest nod and he was immediately on his feet and picking her up into a grand embrace. Kate couldn't have been happier about his reaction.

"Does this mean you're happy about this?" Kate asked after a minute, making sure.

"No," Castle replied. Kate's heart sunk. It never really crossed her mind that he'd be disappointed about this. Maybe he wasn't ready yet or he'd changed his mind... Castle interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm more than happy about this. This is the best birthday present anyone could have ever given me. Thank you Kate. I love you so much and I'm so excited to start a family with you. We're going to have an amazing baby and I couldn't have asked for a better woman to share this with."

His enthusiasm brought tears to her eyes. Reality started to sink in.

"We're going to have a baby," she said, shocked once it hit her. Castle got down on his knees and pulled her shirt up off her stomach. He gently placed his hand on her stomach and places a kiss right below her belly button.

"We're going to have a baby," Kate repeated.


	5. The Big Reveal

**10 weeks into pregnancy**

"Kate wake up," Rick whispered into her ear. She didn't move a muscle. He rolled his eyes. She'd been sleeping in all week but they were going to be late if she didn't wake up now.

He tried a little more urgently this time. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently.

"Kate," he said louder. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and upon realizing she was going to be late, she sprung up. She ran over to the closet and picked out the first blouse and pants she saw.

Rick walked into the kitchen and left her to change. When she walked into the kitchen, Rick walked over to where she was standing and held out a coffee.

"Rick, I can't..." she started.

"It's decaf," he smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you," she smiled and leaned into him. "I think we should do some shopping.." Kate said tentatively.

"For...?" Rick questioned.

"Baby stuff!" Kate exclaimed. "A crib, clothes for the baby, clothes for me, a car seat, a stroller, paint... which room are we going to put the nursery in..?"

"Woah, Kate. Slow down! We don't even know the gender and we still have 30 more weeks to figure all of that out!" Rick said, pulling her back into reality.

"Do you want to know the gender?" Kate said quietly after a minute of silence. She watched Rick process the question and work his way through the options. After two minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

"I don't know. You decide," he told his wife. Kate thought it over for a minute.

"I think I'd like to know," she said with a smile.

"Well it's settled, then. We'll find out the gender of our baby," he said as he drew her into a hug. Kate pulled back and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" she said pulling him out the door.

* * *

The couple arrived at their luxurious beach house in the Hamptons around 3pm. The ride there was filled with talk of the future. Who the baby would look like, what the gender would be, how they would decorate the nursery, and much, much more.

After they had unpacked their suitcases, Kate looked at the time- 3:45. Their guests- Jim, Martha, Alexis, Lanie, Javier, Ryan, Jenny, and their son would be arriving any minute.

"So how are we going to tell them?" Kate asked Rick, laying down on the couch.

"Are you kidding me? They already know!" Rick responded.

"You told them?!" Kate sounded mortified.

"Of course not, but I thought you would have told Lanie," Rick said questioningly.

"I wouldn't do that. This is _our_ surprise to share, Castle," Kate said, putting an emphasis on the word 'our'.

"Well then telling them just got a hundred times scarier! Especially your dad!"

There was a knock at the door.

"Oh my god, Kate. I can't do this! Your dad is going to shoot me!" Castle said nervously. Kate rolled her eyes at him and answered the door.

"Hello, everyone!" she said cheerfully. If she was nervous, she sure wasn't showing it. They both properly hugged everyone and invited them in. Once everything had calmed, it started to get uncomfortably quiet. Everyone already knew what was coming, but they were just waiting for the Castles to say something.

Kate looked over at Rick for some reassurance, but found none. He looked like he was about to cry. So Kate decided to get this over with. She cleared her throat and began.

"As you can see, Castle and I have invited our closest friends and family here. That's because..." Kate didn't know how to continue. Luckily for her, her husband chose the perfect time to jump in. He walked over next to her and grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers.

"Kate and I would like to announce..." he gave Kate's hand a reassuring squeeze before continuing. "We're expecting a baby!"

There was clapping and hugging and congratulating and even a few tears of happiness. Everyone was so happy for them, especially Alexis and Jim. Things couldn't have gone smoother. The rest of the night was spent talking about the baby.

"If it's a girl," Jenny started "she can marry our little boy!" Everyone laughed at that. The 4 month old boy fussed in Kevin's arms.

"No way!" Castle interjected. "He'd be way too old for her!" Things were moving way too fast for Castle. His wife was only 10 weeks pregnant and they were already talking about marriage!

"No!" Kevin said. "Little Casey here will only be a year older than your kid!"

"I'm hoping it's a girl!" Lanie exclaimed.

"I hope it's a boy!" Javier and Kevin shouted at the same time. They high-fived.

"Then we can teach him how to be a cop!" said Kevin.

"You're naming him Javier, right?" Esposito pestered.

"Yeah, right," Kate huffed. "What, are you trying to win an award for having the most babies named after you?"

"Casey is barely even named after me! A middle name doesn't _really_ count!" Javier countered.

"Hey!" Ryan said. "I'll have you know that I can change his middle name any time!"

"May I suggest Casey _Richard_ Ryan?" Castle grinned.

Esposito took little Casey from Kevin and rocked him gently. "Don't worry little buddy. No way in hell would Uncle Javi let that happen." The baby yawned.

Jenny stood up. "Well, we should probably get home before Casey's bedtime. Congratulations, again." She hugged both Kate and Rick and everyone gradually made their way to the door. Before long, it was just Kate and Rick- and their unborn baby of course.

"We need to talk baby names, Rick," Kate said as he took her hands and pulled her into their bedroom.

"Later," he said, exhausted. "For now, we sleep." Rick stripped down into just his boxers and a white t-shirt. Kate wore some boy shorts and one of Castle's old gray t-shirts that was several sizes too big for her. They crawled under the covers and he reached out to pull her close. Their bodies didn't fit as well as they used to because of Kate's tiny baby bump. Rick protectively put his hand on her stomach and leaned down to kiss it.

"Goodnight, little one." The words were barely a whisper but Kate's heart melted all at once.


	6. Boy or Girl?

20 weeks into pregnancy

"Castle, how are we supposed to name this baby if you can't take this conversation seriously?" Kate growled out in frustration.

"I am taking it seriously! It's you who's not taking any of my suggestion seriously!"

Kate rolled her eyes. He was being ridiculous and annoying and it was really starting to annoy her. He saw how frustrated she was getting and walked behind the island in the kitchen to stand beside her.

"Hey," he said. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to get you to smile more. I wasn't serious about any of those. How about we wait until after the appointment today to talk names, because then we'll know the gender." Castle wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

Kate couldn't stay mad at him for long. He was just trying to cheer her up, after all. How could she deny him that? It was kind of sweet, actually. Kate had been grumpy lately and he always made her feel better. She nuzzled her nose into his neck.

"S'okay. I forgive you," she hummed into his skin. "Are you hoping for a certain gender?" She pulled her face away from his so she could he his reaction to her question.

He thought for a moment before sighing. "No. I mean, there are reasons that I want each gender. I want a boy because I have Alexis and although I loved having her, I want to know what it's like to have a son. To having a mini-me who I can share my love of video games with and we can play baseball. On the other hand, I didn't grow up with a father so I don't know if I know how to have a healthy father-son relationship. I want a girl because I loved raising Alexis and I already know how to be a father to a girl. Surprisingly, I loved doing hair and tea parties and I'd love to do it again. So, no, I'd be happy with either gender. What about you?"

Kate absorbed his answer. His fatherly side had always been very attractive to her. It was what made her initially realize that he wasn't just some rich jerk, and that he actually had a heart.

"I guess I'd be happy with either," Kate responded. "I mean, I don't really know what it's like to raise a child, but I'm just glad to be doing this with you. I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled back into his chest and he nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.

After a few comfortable moments of silence, Rick spoke. "Come on, Kate. Let's go find out if we're having a boy or a girl." And with that, he took his wife's hand and led her out of the apartment.

* * *

"Katherine Castle?" the nurse called into the crowded waiting room. Kate stood and glanced over at Rick, who was sitting beside her. He gave her a questioning look, silently asking if she wanted him to go in. She smiled down at him and reached out her hand to help him up, which he gratefully took. Silly man, she thought. Of course she wanted him with her.

As they anxiously waited for the doctor to enter the room, Rick began to be restless. He was pacing, and yes it was sort of cute, but it was making her nervous. She wished he was reassuring her because, after all, he had done this before and she hadn't - she should be the nervous one, not him.

Kate's OB GYN, Dr. Lessard, entered the room. She was probably in her mid 40s but was in great shape for her age, Kate noted. The doctor greeted the couple and sensed their impatience. She decided to skip to the part where they find out the baby's gender.

Rick grabbed for Kate's hand when the ultrasound monitor lit up and there was their baby. It made them both very emotional every time they saw him or her, because it made them realize how real this all was. Kate looked over at him and smiled.

"So are you ready to find out?" Dr. Lessard said excitedly. The couple nodded eagerly and the doctor happily announced, "You're going to have a..."

* * *

Kate and Castle walked out of the doctor's office hand-in-hand. They walked in silence, both still shocked from the doctor's appointment. It was official. They were going to have a baby boy.

When they arrived back at the loft, they decided to start doing some planning.

"What color for the nursery?" she asked him.

"How about, like, a light teal-ish?"

"Sounds perfect to me."

By the end of the day, they had bought several items online, including a car seat, crib, baby gates, and a stroller. It was 8:30 when they finished.

"Castle, can we go to bed?" Kate yawned.

"Of course," he said and guided her into the bed. Once they were settled under the covers, Castle turned the bedside lamp off. He leaned over to Kate and placed a lazy kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight Momma," he whispered with his eyes closed.

Kate smiled into him. "Goodnight Daddy." Rick leaned down and placed a protective hand over Kate's stomach and kissed it gently.

"Goodnight, little man."


	7. Baby Name Game

Kate wakes just past 8 o'clock and reaches out for her husband. She finds cold and empty sheets instead. She pouts in disappointment and rolls out of bed to go find him - hopefully he's cooking breakfast.

But no, she finds him in his study, sleeping in his chair at his desk. She assumes he fell asleep writing, but when she walks over to him, his laptop is closed. There's a book in front of him and she reaches down to close it to get a look at the cover.

Oh. Her husband stayed awake all night reading a baby names book. This makes her emotional. It shouldn't, but it does. They really should have started discussing names, but that was the last thing on her mind lately, with the baby shower and work. She's so proud of him for doing this though, so she'll let him sleep in and they can discuss names when she gets back from work.

* * *

The case at the precinct was draining. She couldn't do any physical work because of her pregnancy, which was worse because there was nothing Kate hated more than being stuck at a desk all day.

So when she comes home late, she just wanted to curl into bed and sleep. But instead, she finds her husband up and waiting for her to arrive. He's laying in bed and looking extremely tired.

"Hey," he greets her.

"Hey, Castle," she yawns. "You didn't have to stay up for me." Kate changes into an old t shirt and shorts.

"I know," he replies. "But I wanted to talk." She crawls under the covers and cuddles up to him. He lazily leans over and plants a kiss on her lips.

"About names?"

"Yeah." She smiled, remembering how she found him drooling over the baby name book this morning. She knows he stayed up all night going through the whole book.

"Want to look through the book, then?" He nods enthusiastically and reaches over to the bedside table and grabs the giant book. He flips through, reading off each name he put a sticky note on.

"Benjamin, Brandon, Brayden, Caleb, Cameron, Chandler, Elijah, Jeremy, Joshua, Kaden, Logan, Lucas, Morgan, Noah, Owen, Peyton, Preston, Reid, Reece, Rory, Ryder, Wesley, William, Wyatt."

"Hmmmm," she hums into his chest. "I like some of those."

"Yeah? Which ones?"

"Benjamin Castle. Ben Castle. Elijah Castle. Eli Castle. Jeremy Castle. Logan Castle. Noah Castle. Ryder Castle. Wyatt Castle. You did a good job."

"Thanks. Rick nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Let's go to sleep."

"Let's," she agree.

Rick slung his arm over Kate and kissed their baby between them. "Goodnight little man," he whispered.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the support on this story and sorry I haven't updated in a while but school is out so I have endless time now! Anyways, I'm asking for baby name suggestions, so please give me some! Thank you!**


	8. Birthday

"Rick!" Kate called out from the bathroom. He came running in.

"What? What is it?" He grabbed her hands.

"It's time." A wave of panic swept across his face because he knew exactly what she meant. They were going to have their baby. Soon.

Castle made a mad dash for the bedroom where their bags were packed. He threw them over his shoulder and grabbed his wife's hand.

"Ready?" he asked her unsteadily.

"Ready," she stated, her voice shaking as she let out an unsteady breath.

* * *

"Castle, did you -"

"Yes," he read her mind. "I called everyone and they're on there way."

Castle was sitting next to his wife who was laying in the hospital bed. Her nails were digging into the flesh of his hand but he didn't care because she was about to deliver his son. Their son.

The doctor gave Castle a small nod, which Castle reciprocated.

"Alright Kate, are you ready to deliver this baby?"

* * *

A cry. More like a wail. Tears streaming down Kate's face. She'd done it. Their baby was finally here. She watched as her husband cut the umbilical cord and smiled down at his son. The nurses took the baby away to clean him up. When Castle made eye contact with Kate, it was incredible. The raw emotion she saw coming from his eyes. And tears. Castle was crying.

"Kate.." he started, but there were no words. He bent down and poured all his feelings into a kiss. A long, sweet kiss.

"You were amazing, Kate. I'm so proud of you," he whispered against her lips. She reached up to cup his stubbly face.

A nurse walked over and placed a little blue bundle into Kate's arms. The couple started down at him in awe. He had thick brown hair and the cutest face. And those eyes. Oh, she'd never be able to say no to him when he had those eyes. His father's beautiful blue eyes.

As if she wasn't emotional enough, Castle leaned down to their son and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Hey little man, it's nice to finally meet you. We love you soooo much." Hearing Castle talking to their son made Kate so happy.

"So," the nurse interrupted. "Does this little guy have a name yet?"

Kate looked up and met Rick's eyes. They read each other's minds and nodded. They both decided on the name as soon as they saw their son. It fit perfectly.

Suddenly, a crowd of family and friends flooded through the door. Alexis came up to see the baby first. Kate handed the tiny bundle over to his big sister. Alexis' heart melted.

"Hey there little guy." She held onto his tiny hand. The baby wrapped his cute little fingers around Alexis' pinky finger. She handed the baby to her father.

Castle put the baby onto his chest and rocked him. He kissed his son's head and whispered words no one could hear into the baby's ear.

Martha walked over to greet her grandson.

"So..?" she said and looked at her son. Castle looked back at her, confused.

"What is his name?!" She said and threw her hands up in the air.

Rick looked down at Kate and she nodded, smiling cheek to cheek. He held the baby up for everyone to see.

"Everyone, I'd like to formally introduce you to..." Rick said.

"Get on with it!" Esposito yelled impatiently. Kate rolled her eyes and Castle shot him a look.

"Elijah Richard-James Castle," he said as he smiled proudly up at his baby boy.


End file.
